-LRB- Wired -RRB- -- Joe Wilkins knew there was only one way to give his supercharged , alcohol-injected Hemi-engined hot rod more power : Put a jet engine in the trunk .

`` It started as a hobby and turned into a monster , '' said Joe Wilkins , the motor madman behind what might be the wildest 1939 Ford ever built . He 's an inventor and defense department contractor , and the idea of goosing the Ford 's ability to turn heads and shred tires came when he bought a used gas turbine engine .

`` I got hooked on the simplicity and power that this thing produced , and I decided one day I want to put it in a car . ''

Luckily for us , he did . The Hemi Jet -- Wilkins has copyrighted the name -- fires up this weekend at the Houston AutoRama , and Wilkins plans to attempt a land speed record in the near future .

In the meantime , he 's tooling around Navasota , Texas , in what he says is the ultimate sleeper when the jet engine 's tucked away in the trunk .

Most people say `` Nice car '' and assume he 's got the obligatory small-block Chevrolet engine under the hood . Little do they know .

`` I can drive it up to the store and get a gallon of milk if I want to , '' he told Autopia .

The car is an amalgamation of the Big Three , with a Chrysler engine , Chevrolet drivetrain and Ford body . Wilkins says the jet engine was probably used as an APU and weighs 110 pounds .

He claims the car is street legal so long as the jet stays stowed . He fires it up from time to time to show off , and he plans to run it flat-out at the Bonneville Salt Flats .

`` We want to be the fastest street legal car in the world , '' he said .

He 's got some intense competition . The Bugatti Veyron tops out at 253 mph and the Shelby Supercars Ultimate Aero TT does 255 . And then there 's Red Vector One , that crazy Vauxhall that does zero to 60 in under a second . Record , schmecord -- we just want to see the video .

`` I 'm more than certain the car will go over 300 , '' Wilkins said . `` We 've still got a ways to go -LSB- before Bonneville -RSB- , but not a long way . We 'll have to experiment in some wind tunnels and end up with a spoiler on the back to keep the front end on the ground . ''

Sadly , Wilkins wo n't be behind the wheel during the car 's test run .

`` I turned 61 last Sunday . I just do n't think I 'm going to be able to handle it -LSB- without -RSB- the reflexes I had 20 or 30 years ago , '' he said . `` I know several people who would be more than interested . ''

So do we , and we even suggested Wilkins give the job to fellow jet-junkie Bob Maddox . After jumping from a plane with a pulse jet strapped to his chest , we suspect Maddox would welcome the opportunity to stay on the ground .

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A Texas man has outfitted a 1939 Ford with a jet engine he hopes will make it go more than 300 mph

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Nicknamed the `` Hemi Jet , '' it fires up this weekend at the Houston AutoRama

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The car has a Chrysler engine , a Chevrolet drivetrain and a Ford body

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Owner Joe Wilkins plans to run it flat-out someday at the Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah